Which direction to turn to remove freewheel
 

I haven't done much work with old style freewheels, but have recently become interested in vintage steel bikes. I am having difficulty removing a freewheel for service and believe part of my problem is related to the direction to turn the tool to remove the freewheel. The following instructions from the Barrett Manual illustrate my confusion

My problem is that in step 6, the wheel is oriented with the freewheel on the side away from you, while it would seem that in step 8 the freewheel would be on the side facing you. Yet in both situations the freewheel is removed by turning counterclockwise. That is impossible since turning the same direction in both cases would mean the tool is turned in opposite directions. I have checked a number of different descriptions of the process all with the same ambiguity.

So my question is thus. When the freewheel and tool are facing you in such a way that they stand between you and the hub/rim, which way do you turn the tool to remove the freewheel?

Think about it for a second. The freewheel tightens itself on when it transfers drive, so to unscrew it, you turn it in the direction that the sprockets will turn freely in, which will be opposite to the direction the freewheel transfers drive in, and hence will remove it.

With it facing away from you, the WHEEL is turned counterclockwise. When facing toward you, the FREEWHEEL is turned counterclockwise. No ambiguity there.

Ok. Thanks guys. I am guessing I have a freewheel that will not be able to be removed. I have used the vise method and turned as hard as I could and no joy. This is after liberal use of Blaster PB-16.

Ugh, I hate it when a freewheel is so tight that using the vise method doesn't make it even budge. When I put the tool into the vise and then put the wheel on the tool, I just say "turn the bus steering wheel to the left" and people get it.

In 20 years I never saw a freewheel that could not be removed, but if the tool has not slipped (two-pronged ones often do) have someone stronger try. If still no go then I would indeed give up. There is a way to disassemble when the remover slots are damaged but that will not give you any more leverage than you have now.

The quick release should not be tightened all the way down. There needs to be some room for the freewheel to unscrew without breaking the quick release skewer.

I've never ever ever had a freewheel I couldn't remove with a vise and the right puller... it's just like turning the steering wheel of a dump truck without power steering ;)

Secure the tool and use a piece of pipe as an extension to your tool. Since pedaling tightens it removing it can be quite difficult.

over the last 20 plus years of wrenching on bikes
the majority of which in bike shops
the only freewheels i could not get off by
pretending to be a bus driver turning left
were when the two prong or sometimes four prong tool
damaged the prongs on the freewheel

if you are sure it is a conventional freewheel and not some weirdo hub
and the tool is not slipping
then you just need a little more elbow grease
i promise

+1

The wheel is a 6 speed from an early eighties fuji. It uses a two standard two prong freewheel tool. I think my bench set-up may be part of the problem. It only weighs about fifty pounds and I have put enough force onto the wheel to move the bench. So I am having some issues turning the wheel while at the same time preventing the bench from rotating. Thanks for the info guys, I think I will try again.

Yeah you need more weight or to wedge the bench so you can get some real torque going/.

...or get a friend to hold the bench while you turn the wheel
they should not have to hold the bench with any more force than that
with which you are turning the wheel

If the bench is the problem you just brace yourself against the bench instead of standing away from it.

There's your problem. I watched a big, hefty bike mechanic knock over a 200 pound workbench and 30 pound vise trying to loosen a "stuck" freewheel in his home shop. There was a reason that the workbenches in the shop where I worked were securely bolted to the wall.

If it gets to that point, and it does not sound like you're there yet, come back and ask about
the technique called destructive freewheel removal, which is what you have to do if you
damage those edges on the two slots to the point that your freewheel tool jumps out of the
point of insertion when you go to turn the wheel.

Meanwhile, make sure you use the quick release hold in method for the tool, and sometimes
a freewheel that will not respond to using the wheel to turn as your leverage, will respond
to a long handled tool like this:

http://www.parktool.com/uploads/thum...3a_800x700.jpg

Which is used on the appropriate freewheel tool of choice. You tap the end of the handle firmly
and with conviction several times with a hammer, and the impact often does what a simple
high torque turning motion will not accomplish.

Let me add to this that if you could remove the freewheel by turning it to the right, you wouldn't need a freewheel remover, you'd just use a chain whip. You need the remover BECAUSE you cannot drive it from the sprockets.

DING DING DING

Take your tool and your wheel to REI, they'll do it for free on the spot. Before I had a Wilton vise, they helped me out at leat 5-10 times, never a charge. At least buy some cable or tubes too for the free service.

My vise weighs close to what your whole bench weighs.

My chain whip has the right size opening on the other end for the removal tool. I don't have a decent vise, so I just give it a tap with a hammer, then try with my hand until it moves. No problem. Just don't leave the quick release on or you'll mess something up.

No proper freewheel remover for that particular one..

I have considered using an air impact wrench. It would take a lot less muscle.

better way is to apply tension then have someone else com along with the deadblow for that love tap. i have broken one of these tools though, not under abuse. the tack welds cracked, i think it was just overuse or it was abused previously. park did replace it. also use the nut or skewer to firmly hold the freewheel tool in place

while a hammer may be a way to free a particularily stuck fw
it is also a potential way to remove the prongs from the fw
and necessitate destructive removal

the
tool in vise
bus driver turning left
method
is less likely to damage the fw

although once that fw is off
it should be replaced with a modern
many splined version